CALL TO ACTION — Citizen Letters to Uphold the North Coast Oil Tanker Moratorium

CALL TO ACTION!

Help Defend the North Coast from large-scale crude and bitumen tanker traffic!

Dear Friend,

British Columbia’s North Coast – the Great Bear Rainforest – is one of world’s most cherished places. Our salmon rivers, wildlife, forests, and communities rely on clean water, healthy ecosystems, and a stable, resilient marine environment. We’re writing today because a major political development could put all of that at risk.

There is increasing pressure to weaken or even remove Canada’s Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which currently protects the North Coast from large-scale crude and bitumen tanker traffic. On November 27, the federal government and Alberta announced a memorandum of understanding that lays the groundwork for a bitumen pipeline from Alberta to B.C.’s North Coast. The agreement states the federal government is willing to exempt the project from key federal environmental regulations, including the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act. 

For more than 50 years, local communities, First Nations, conservation groups and people like you have worked tirelessly to ensure our North Coast remains oil free. We can’t afford to stop now.

This is a moment when people’s voices really matter. We’re asking you to take just a few minutes this week to contact Prime Minister Mark Carney, key members of Parliament (contacts below) and Ellis Ross, MP for the riding of Skeena-Bulkley Valley. Urge them to maintain the oil tanker moratorium. This protection exists for a reason. It represents decades of community advocacy, scientific evidence, and hard-learned lessons about the vulnerability of our coastline.

We’re also asking you to tell B.C. Premier David Eby to hold the line when it comes to opposing exemptions to the oil tanker moratorium. It was good to see Premier Eby and Coastal First Nations sign the North Coast Protection Declaration earlier this month. Let’s encourage him not to waver in his support for an oil-free North Coast. 

Your voice is powerful. When people like you, who know and love this place, speak up, it can change the course of history.

Thank you for taking a moment to stand up for the coast we all share.

Sample letter to the Prime Minister and Liberal MPs

Prime Minister Mark Carney or [MP Name],

Office of the Prime Minister

[email protected]

Phone: 613-825-3422

Dear Prime Minister Mark Carney,

I’m writing to you today as a concerned citizen who cares deeply about the north coast of British Columbia and the communities, ecosystems, and economies that depend on it. I’m deeply troubled by your recent agreement with the Province of Alberta, which could see future exemptions to the law currently protecting B.C.’s North Coast from oil tanker traffic, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.

The North Coast is not only one of the most dangerous coastlines in the world, it’s also one of the most ecologically significant places in Canada. Its salmon rivers, estuaries, marine life, and coastal communities rely on clean water and intact ecosystems. A large oil or bitumen spill in this area would have widespread, long-lasting, and in some cases irreversible consequences. That is why local communities and First Nations have long opposed attempts to bring oil to the North Coast. It’s also why previous Liberal governments have worked to put safeguards in place, including the voluntary tanker exclusion zone and the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.

I urge you to uphold this legacy. The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act was the result of years of evidence, public consultation, and hard-won lessons about the vulnerability of our coastline. Removing or weakening it now would put one of Canada’s most culturally and ecologically important regions at unnecessary risk.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Community / Town]

Government Members of Parliament contact info:

Riding	Name	Email
South Surrey – White Rock	Ernie Klassen	[email protected]
Vancouver Fraserview – South Burnaby	Gregor Robertson	[email protected]
Fleetwood – Port Kells	Gurbux Saini	[email protected]
Vancouver Center	Hedy Fry	[email protected]
New Westminster – Burnaby Maillarville	Jake Sawatzky	[email protected]
Delta	Jill Mcknight	[email protected]
North Vancouver	Jonathan Wilkinson	[email protected]
Richmond East	Parm Bains	[email protected]
West Vancouver	Patrick Weiler	[email protected]
Surrey Centre	Randeep Sarai	[email protected]
Coquitlam	Ron McKinnon	[email protected]
Esquimalt	Stephanie McLean	[email protected]
Kelowna	Steve Fuhr	[email protected]
Surrey Newton	Sukh Dhaliwal	[email protected]
Vancouver Granville	Taleeb Noormohamed	[email protected]
Burnaby North	Terry Beech	[email protected]
Burnaby Central	Wade Change	[email protected]
Vancouver Quadra	Wade Grant	[email protected]
Victoria	Will Greaves	[email protected]
Port Moody	Zoe Royer	[email protected]

Sample letter to Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Ellis Ross

Ellis Ross, MP Skeena-Bulkley Valley

House of Commons

[email protected]

Phone: 613-992-7688

Dear Mr. Ross,

I am writing to ask you to clarify your position on the prospect of a new oil pipeline and oil tanker terminal on B.C.’s North Coast. With the Prime Minister’s recent signing of a memorandum of understanding with Alberta, I and many British Columbians who care about our coast deserve to know where their elected representatives stand.

Specifically, I would like to know:

1. Do you support or oppose Alberta’s plan to build a new oil pipeline and oil tanker terminal on B.C.’s North Coast?


2. Will you stand with coastal First Nations, local communities, and residents who oppose such a project?

3. Will you work to uphold the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which many of your constituents worked for years to put in place?

I look forward to your timely response.

Sincerely, 

[Your Name]

[Your Community / Town]